Knights’ Schuerch perfects juggling act
Juggling a myriad responsibilities, Eleaya Schuerch occasionally drops the ball.
“Mom’s not very happy, but sometimes I have to put aside my chores,” she admitted.
On her to-do list, chores fall below studying, duties as the East Valley ASB president, helping get the Knights basketball team to their first state tournament, preparing to defend her State 3A long jump title, working at a fast-food joint to earn money for a car and, by all accounts, being a friend to nearly everyone in the school.
Chores?
“Mom is not unhappy, but it’s true,” Neleigh Schuerch said about her daughter. “To let her do some of the things she tries to do, I sometimes help her out. We’re a really close family. I’ve been a single mom for 12 years. It’s really been pull together, work together.”
Getting Eleaya to expound on her accomplishments is difficult.
“She’s not very good about talking about herself,” said best buddy Kylee Williamson. “She needs somebody else to brag for her.”
So Williamson, who played basketball and runs on relays with Schuerch, did the bragging.
“She’s a very well-rounded girl,” Williamson said. “She can do anything. She’s book-smart, she’s street-smart, she’s athletic, she’s gorgeous. She can do anything. She’s the most outgoing person. She can walk down the hall and talk to anybody.”
Track has given Schuerch the most notoriety.
Last season she soared 17 feet, 10 3/4 inches in the long jump and it says a lot about her that she was extremely disappointed when she won state with a mark of 17-3 1/4 despite jumping into a strong headwind.
She has already surpassed 18 feet this year, though it came on a small scratch.
“She’s the type of girl who is always looking for something new she can work on to get better,” EV girls coach Shane Toy said. “This year she committed herself to the weight room and her strength has really improved.”
Funny thing is, basketball is her passion.
“I’m more of a basketball player,” she said. “I do track because I can do well at it.”
That’s where her life is conflicted and the perfectionism she inherited from her parents shows through.
Schuerch loves the camaraderie of basketball. She hates the running in track.
“It’s not like I don’t like track, I love track, I just don’t think running is fun,” she said. “Jumping is fun. Running for basketball is different. You have to have a goal. Going through a finish line isn’t a goal.”
Cookies, Williamson interrupted, would be a good, if Schuerch weren’t so conscious of her diet.
“Running, jumping, diving for loose balls, contact,” Schuerch continued. “I think I like the contact sports where you actually get to bang people.”
Two trips to the state track meet and four medals don’t compare to making state in basketball.
“Going to state in basketball was like a life-changing experience,” she said. “It was something we never did before. I had the time of my life at state in basketball.”
Schuerch thinks being in the FBI or a personal trainer would be a good future – “being athletic and helping people.”
But taking her good grades and track ability straight to a bigger college would probably mean her basketball career was over.
“I want to go to a four-year school, but I love basketball so much I’m teetering because I can play both at a community college,” she said. “I’m just hoping to better myself. Whatever decision I make it’s for my best interest.”
“Helping people, that’s a big deal to her,” he mother said. “I told all my children (four daughters), ‘When you die, I want you to be able to know you made an impression in this world … that you’ll be remembered for making a difference.’ “
Schuerch finds some peace on her I-Pod, listening to a 1980s song by Silverwind, “Eyla,” which is what her parents used as the basis for her name.
She also unwinds by drawing, her favorite being political cartoons.
“She’s kind of a quiet leader, she leads by example,” said ASB advisor Rob Collins. “People respect her for who she is, what she represents. She’s a good role model for younger kids.”
Maybe it’s just her juggling skills that everyone appreciates.